Headlight



May 5, 1925.

1,536,146 A. P. SAFFERT HEADLIGHT Filed March 9, 192 1 *2 29 v vPatented May `5, l19.255.

UNITED STATES PATENr ol-"FICE,

' ARMAND r. enfrente, or CL'IFFSIDE, NEW JERSEY.

HEAnLIeH'r.

Application led. March 9, 19583.A Serial No. 623,969.

dent of Cliifside, in the county of Bergen' and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements .in

-Headlights, ofl which the 1 following is a full, clear, and 'exact description.

This invention appertains to certain improvements in head-lights generally, and

more particularly to lens construction 'foi' use' on head-lights of automobilesand the like.

(Tlie principal object of therinvention is to providefor a lens structure ofthe type specified, and one designed to readily and efliciently meet the requirements of law,

- rule and regulation governing the' projection of beams of light'to the front of vehicles, particularly automobiles, 'whereby the uppermost edges of the beams, at a given distance in advance of 'the vehicle, will not strike a pedestrian, crossing the path of the forward travel of the vehicle, at a height.

much above his or her Waist-line, so that all danger of temporarily blmding the sight of the pedestrian will be eliminated.

Another object of the invention is to provide for a lens fconstrhction of the character mentioned, and one of a novel arrangement and mounting Lof parts, as to be inexpensive to manufacture, cheap to repair in case of breakage to only one or more of its parts, and extremely easyfto remove or replace fromand to operative position.

With the foregoing androther equally im- `portant advantages and objectsin view,the invention. resides in the certain new and useful construction" and arrangement of parts as will behereinafter more. fully descrbed,setv forth in the appended claims, and illustrated in. the accompanying drawings, in which:-

'Figure 1 is a front elevation, .partly in section, "of a head light embodying vthe improved'- lens construction --and mountingy therefor,

Figure 2 1s a ,vert-ical section taken on theline 2-2of Figure 1,

Figure 5\ is an enlarged fragmentary seci tion taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

gure 3'is arear elevation of a lower:` half portion of slotted grid ring part of Referringto the drawing, wherein similai` characters of reference designates corresponding parts throughout the .several views thereof, the numeral 10 indicates a head light casing of conventional form, preferably provided with an interiorly disposed parabolic reflector (not shown) for directin the light from a suit-able light source -ilso not shown) mounted centrally of the inner side of the reflector and casing in the ordinary manner of such devices.

`The edge of the lens receiving opening at the frontv of the casing 10 is preferably spun or otherwise depressed inwardly to Aform an inner annular shouldered portion 11 and an outer annular shouldered portion- 12 spun or vdepressed inwardly toa slightly less diameter than the shouldered portion l 11, both of said shouldered portions. 11 and 12 lbeing of substantialwidth as and for the purposes to be hereinafter more fully eX- plained. The outer free end of the shouldered portion 12 is inturned to form an an; nular 'flange 13, also of a substantial width to function in the manner to be-presently f indicated for the same.

\ Adapted to seat against the-outer face of the ila-nge 13 is an annular memberlor grid ring 14, preferably formed of a single piece of sheet metal spuiLor die-stamped to pro- L `vide an inner flange portion 15, an outer llange portion-16 and an. intermediate wall portion 17 connectingthe flange portions J' 15and 16 ina manner to form a channel 18 opening. inwardly of the member .or grid stantially as shown.

. Formed .'n horizontal alignment in the lnner flange 15, ofthe 'member orgrid ring,

A14, are, aplurality of equidistantly spaced and forwardly declined openings or slots `19, in which are inserted `the opposite ends -of' a number of light deilecting sla-ts 20, the

inserted ends ofwhich are preferablyl embedded ina resilient packing 21 retained within the channel '18,v and in a manner to,

or the like, andare spaced apart at a suitable distance to deflect amajor portion of the reiected light from 'a lamp, contained within the headlight casing 10, in a down- 'ring 14 between the imier flange portion 15 'and the intermediate wall'portion 17, sub.-

I preferably cushioned against breakage from ward direction and progressively forward from the front of the vehicle. By making these slats 20 from a colored glass or other translucent material, a certa-in amount ofl the light rays will pass Vthrough the same suflicient to illuminate the road bed with a comparatively soft or subdued and nonglaring light ahead of the vehicle, while all direct parallel rays will be deflected in the downward direction and immediately onto the road bed.-

Arranged `to enclose the outer side of the gridV ring 14 is a lens 22, in the form of a circular plate of transparent material, such as sheet glass or the like, and the same is shock, incident to the travel of the vehicle, by means of resilient packing material 23 supported within outwardly opening pockets or seats 24 formed by the outturning of spaced portions 25 of the outer flange portion 16 of the grid ring 14. This packing 23 preferably projects for a sufficient distance outwardly of the front side of the grid ring 14 whereby to maintain the lens 22 free from contact with the Ymetal from which the latter is made.

The grid ring 14 and lens 22 are to be retained in osition by means of a metal rim 26, whic issformed to provide an inwardly curved portion 27 at its forward side to` bear against the front face of the lens 22 and a rearwardly directed straight flanged portion 2,8 to snugly engage over the inner shoulder portion 11 of the headlight casing 10. lProjecting radially inward lof the flange portion 28, of the rim 26,

are a series of bayonets or lugs 29 which engage in suitable seats or openings 30 formed in the outer shouldered or stepped portion 12 of the head light casing 10, whereby to detachably secure the rim in its lens holdingJ position.

From the foregoing, it' willbe readily apparent that, while a preferred embodiment of lens and lens mounting for headlights has been described and illustrated in specific terms and details of construction and arrangement of parts, various changes in and modifications of the same may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention, or the scope of the claims appended hereto. i Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed, is.:-

1. In a headlight, a casing having opening, a plurality of horizontally disposed translucent slats mounted within the opening of the member and arranged in vertica ly spaced and forwardly declined relation one with respect to the other, means carried by aid member for cushioning the engageden s of said slats, a lens adapted a lens* recelving opening therein, alring-shaped .member disposed at the edge of the said gaged ends of said slats, a lens adapted to cover the opening of said member at the outer side thereof, means also carried by said member for cushioning the lens against contact therewith, and means for detachably securing said member and lens in position.

3. In a headlight, ya casing having a lens receiving opening therein, a flange inturned vfrom the edge of the said opening, a ringshap/ed member adapted to be disposed in abutting relation with the outer face of said flange, a plurality of horizontally disposed translucent slats mounted within the opening of said member and arranged in Vertically' spaced and forwardly declined relation one with respect to the/other, means carried by said member for cushioning the engaged ends of said slats against breakage incident to shocks to which the headlight may be subjected in use, a lens adapted to be arranged in abutting relation with the outer side of said member, means also carried by said member for cushioning said lens against actual contact therewith, and means adapted to be engaged over the open end of saidA casing for detachably securing said member and lens in position.

4. In a headlight, a casing` having a lens receiving opening at the forward end there- 0f, inner and outer annular Ashouldered por`- tions formed inwardly ofltlie'edge of the said opening, both of said portions being a lesser diameter than said casing and the outer thereof of a lesser diameter than the inner of t-he same, a flange inturned from the free edge of the outer of said shouldered portions, .al ring-shaped member adapted to be abutted against the outer face of said flange, a plurality of horizontally disposed slats mounted within the opening of said member one in spaced and forwardly declined relation to the other, a lens adapted to be abutted against the outer side ofsaid member, a rim member adapted to engage over the inner of said shouldered portions for securing said member and lens 'in position, and cooperative means carried by said rim and the outer of said shouldered portions for detachably retaining the rim against accidental displacement from its engaged position.

ARMAND P. SAFFERT 

